Investigating Coral Castle

“The castle is an extraordinary feat of engineering, and experts have
puzzled over how Leedskalnin, who only had a fourth-grade education,
constructed Coral Castle by himself. He reportedly did all of the work
in the dark of night, in order to keep his secrets.” – ABC News

While visiting Coral Castle, during the winter solstice of 2005, the
intention was to investigate the entire site in search for any clues of
how the building process was accomplished. The reason for the trip to
Coral Castle, out of all the great sites in a reasonable distance,
Edward Leedskalnin is the only person in our modern era to claim he knew
how the pyramids in Egypt were built and left behind the evidence to
prove it (34). Before the thought of visiting Coral Castle hours of
online research was spent on Leedskalnin and the book he had written
entitled Magnetic Current (1). At the time in 2005 there wasn’t
as much information available on the internet but whatever could be
located was taken into consideration before the trip. There were quite a
few theories on how he accomplished his mysterious building methods but
no one has yet to actually demonstrate how it was done from beginning
to end. Some have attempted on a smaller level but still to this day not
one single person has accomplished the building feats on the scale of
Coral Castle.

Leedskalnin’s Controversial Past

In the image above on the left is of Leedskalnin before leaving Latvia in 1910 (27).
“18-year-old Edvards said to always walking with rifle behind his coats” (27).
”When questioned about how he moved the blocks of coral, Ed would
only reply that he understood the laws of weight and leverage well”
(11).

After examining the site, film, pictures and the hearsay evidence
there is only one of two possibilities. Either Leedskalnin was a really
good con artist and told stories about how he built Coral Castle, along
with several eyewitnesses, or he really had hidden secrets about his
building methods. It is said he had a very shady past in Latvia before
illegally residing in the US (27). A Latvian article about Leedskalnin
claims he was an atheist and a revolutionist with a background which
involved criminal activities. There were no signs that he lived this
lifestyle while in America. The article mentions Leedskalnin was seeing a
woman in Latvia but there wasn’t any evidence of Agnes Scuffs leaving
him on his wedding day as claimed. Is it possible he left Latvia to
start a new life and used the “sweet sixteen” story to keep his shady
past behind? If this were true it seems he would try to stay out of
trouble or keep the negative attention away for these reasons alone.
When people came to Coral Castle for a private tour he would charge 25¢
(35). In good faith he left it to the person to deposit the money before
ringing the bell alerting their presence. He was considered a loner and
didn’t live a material life it doesn’t seem he would tell stories for
the sake of attention or profits. As he lived in Florida his character
did not fit the profile of a criminal minded person. He was considered a
very hard working and polite individual who never swore or lost his
temper (16).

Before he found his way to Florida Leedskalnin searched throughout
America for what he called the right land (23). It seems he spent the
majority of his time experimenting with magnets, electricity, radio
signals and paying close attention to the position of the planets and
stars. It was said he was very heartbroken over the breakup of what he
called his sweet sixteen and this was his drive for building Coral
Castle. Even though he didn’t really talk about his sweet sixteen after
he moved Coral Castle to its present day location he remained a single
man until his death. A few years after he died a box of his personal
belongings were found (27). Within the box contained some of his
belongings and thirty-five hundred dollars in cash. This money was made
from selling pamphlets and the admission he charged for tours along with
land which was sold and later used for US Highway 1. Judging by the
information, as he resided in Florida he was an honest hard working
person who was very curious about nature’s mysterious forces and he left
plenty of clues to prove he experimented in these fields. The evidence
seems to indicate he knew something he wasn’t ready to share with the
world.

The Nine-Ton Gate

While in Florida City around 1923 Leedskalnin named his creation Rock
Gate Park after a nine-ton gate he constructed (3). It was made from a
block of limestone perfectly balanced so it can be pushed open with ease
(9). In July of 1986 it was removed after suddenly failing to operate.
The engineers from the University of Florida discovered a hole had been
drilled down the center of the block (3). A metal shaft was inserted
through the hole and rested on a truck bearing. In order to do this
repair it required an 18-20 ton crane to lift the gate off the original
truck bearing which had rusted causing the failure (2). In a short
documentary by Joe Bullard (20), researcher and writer of Waiting for Agnes
he mentions, after lifting the nine-ton gate they removed a small pie
shaped piece of stone which was mounted to the bottom (21). After the
repair the gate didn’t perform as it did when Leedskalnin originally set
it in place many decades earlier. In 2005 the 1986 repair failed and
the gate had to be repaired once again (3). Even today, after the second
repair, the gate does not rotate with the ease it originally did.

When the gate was created by Leedskalnin there wasn’t the use of a
crane or the help from a crew of workers. For this fact alone, it seems
obvious, when he made the claim he knew how the pyramids in Egypt were
built he must’ve had some idea of their forgotten ancient knowledge.
Keep in mind, nine tons is equivalent to about three average size
automobiles. The gate isn’t the largest of the numerous blocks on site.
He somehow single-handedly cut and moved a thirty ton block of
limestone.

The Quarry

Coral Castle has numerous large blocks weighing in the tons. Most
were quarried on site while some were moved from the first location.
There is a total of eleven hundred tons of blocks quarried and moved
into position by Leedskalnin alone (8). The building he resided in is
two stories in height which is built from large blocks weighing in the
tons. The guide at Coral Castle Ray Ramirez informed me Leedskalnin was
in the process of surrounding the entire site with a wall constructed of
blocks but did not complete the task before his death in 1951 (29). In
my opinion, it’s amazing how he single-handedly cut and removed each
block then managed to transport them into place without the help of any
modern day machinery. Some blocks where hoisted two stories and set into
place with perfect accuracy (24). When examining the quarry and the
blocks there are no signs of chisel marks and in some places the cuts
appear very smooth (2). The marks on the blocks were said to be from
wedges, but Ramirez informed me Leedskalnin used leaf springs like the
ones used for shelves in his living quarters. He said they were pounded
into the ground with a sledge hammer to separate the blocks. This method
may have been used to separate the blocks but the marks were not
present at the bottom of the quarry.

The Magnetic Wheel

On the ground level of the building where Leedskalnin resided,
sometimes called “the tower”, he constructed a room to house his tools.
Within this room there is a mysterious flywheel which is constructed of
concrete and magnets with a clover-leaf shape at the center (25). When
holding a compass next to the wheel as it rotates the compass also spins
indicating each u-shaped magnet was set opposite in polarity. Next to
the wheel there is a metal pole which enters the ground. In the only
known picture of Leedskalnin using the wheel it seems he wrapped chains
and connected objects to this metal pole as though it had some
significant use. The white arrows in the pictures above (bottom left and
top right) indicate the location of the pole.

Electricity and Electrical Components

Among the various gears, pulleys, chains and other equipment used for
hoisting the blocks there was a great amount of electrical components
displayed in Leedskalnin’s tool room (26). There were glass bottles with
wire wrapped around them, rolls of wire and several other components.
There is no doubt electricity was one of his main fascinations, could
this be a clue to part of his secret?

Leedskalnin also used a crystal radio he assembled. It was said the
radio was interfering with the signals of a nearby Air Force Base (22).
Agents were sent to see him about the radio signals and were impressed
by the antenna he had set up. Leedskalnin said he was using the antenna
so he could listen to free music and news with the use of his crystal
radio (27). Was he using this radio for listening entertainment or was
there more to it? Chris Dunn believes radio signals were used to vibrate
the coral at resonant frequency while using an electromagnetic field to
flip the polarity of the atoms so they would repel the Earth’s magnetic
field (13).

The Telescope

There are many clues in the layout of Coral Castle itself which
indicate there must have been a celestial importance. The position of
the Earth within the solar system almost seemed essential to Leedskalnin
(28). The Polaris telescope, which is said to be twenty-five feet in
height and weighing twenty tons, can be used to determine the location
of the Earth in its orbit according to the position of the Polaris star
within cross hairs. In order to observe Polaris you would have to peer
through a hole which is drilled through a block at about eye level. When
looking through the hole it aligns with a larger hole at the top of a
twenty-five foot block of limestone. The amount of the effort put into
this elaborate device should indicate its importance.

The Sundial

Not only did Leedskalnin create a telescope he also constructed a
very unique and accurate sundial. It can be used to tell the time of day
within a few minutes. There are what appear to be two metal bars
embedded or concreted in the stone casting a shadow on a looped pattern
below. When the shadow of the marker crosses the pattern the time of day
can be observed depending on the markers location. The loops are
numbered to tell the time on the hour and the numberless loops
in-between are for the half hour (30). Not only does the sundial tell
the time of day it can also be used to determine the seasons. When the
marker moves across the bottom of the pattern the Suns position is at
the summer solstice and at the top it’s the winter solstice as seen in
the image above (note the bottom right image above was taken on November
10th 2005).

The Moon Pond

The Moon pond, or also known as the Moon fountain, was one of
Leedskalnin’s creations which is said to be connected to the cycles of
the Moon. It’s believed the three blocks used to construct the pond
weigh eighteen tons each. With the two crescent-shaped Moons and the
full circle in-between, being the pond itself, this is said to describe
the cycles of the Moon. Notice the wave pattern which surrounds the
six-pointed star at the center of the pond. Could this be his way of
describing the Moons orbit around the Earth? With the Moon being
connected to the Earth’s tides could the pond have been used in any way
to track the cycles of the tides (8)?

The Thirty-Ton Block

Alone Leedskalnin set a thirty-ton block of coral limestone then
topped it off with a large block placed on two smaller blocks with a
stone gable on the very top. Keep in mind, thirty tons is around the
same weight as ten average size vehicles. He called the thirty-ton block
his “King Stone” and refereed to the gable as the “Kings Crown” (21).
He single-handedly quarried, moved and set these blocks in place without
any signs of heavy equipment. In my opinion, this feat has not been
demonstrated by anyone to this day.

Eye-Witness Accounts

It seems this would be beneficial information for any building
contractor who is looking for easier and quicker means of transporting
huge amounts of weight without any heavy machinery and the use of only
one employee. This is one of the reasons I believe there is still an
unsolved mystery on our hands. There are statements from witnesses such
as a truck driver Leedskalnin had hired to move his blocks from the
first site to the present day location. There is also a legend of how
children were spying on Leedskalnin and witnessed him floating blocks
like “hydrogen balloons” (2). These sightings may not be taken seriously
because children told the stories but there were other accounts which
were explained by adults.

This is a quote from the website http://www.southfloridaonline.com/article_coral_castle.htm
– “There are a couple of credible accounts of adults witnessing strange
occurrences as Ed worked. The man whom Ed hired to move the stones with
his truck stated that he had forgotten his lunch box one morning and
went back to the castle to get it. He had only been gone for a half-hour
and when he arrived Ed already had several of the monolithic stones
stacked on the rails of the trailer like cordwood. He never saw how Ed
loaded them; just that Ed had absolutely no heavy machinery that should
have been necessary to manipulate such heavy stones; especially that
fast” (2).

Witnesses have said if they were to approach Leedskalnin while he was
working he had a way of knowing when they were close by (21). Some
believe a person’s body may have interfered with a possible energy
source that was in use. Whatever the reason, it was very hard for anyone
to witness how these feats were accomplished (23). Leedskalnin guarded
most of his secrets until his death but left clues behind in the form of
a few books and articles. If you were to try connecting his writings to
the building methods of Coral Castle the book entitled Magnetic Current seems to be the most significant (1).

Leedskalnin’s Short Film

A 1930’s short film shows Leedskalnin lifting small blocks from the
quarry using a tripod with chains and pulleys (19). It shows him move
the block using logs and a chain with a crank ratchet. This film doesn’t
explain how he stacked the blocks over two stories in height or the
quarrying and movement of the thirty-ton block. Despite the film showing
Leedskalnin working around crowds of people this was not the case by
what is said from those close to him. It has been reported in many
instances Leedskalnin was considered a private man and did most of his
work late at night without any assistance. Also to take into
consideration the countless hours he spent creating the magnetic wheel
and investigating magnetism, electricity and radio waves. There must
have been a really good reason for him to invest so much time into these
subjects.

When it comes to the building process the only physical evidence it
seems left behind are a short film, his books, the tool room and the
equipment left on site after Leedskalnin’s death. He wouldn’t allow
anyone in his living quarters for reasons unknown (8). Could there be
something over-looked or possibly removed after his death? When visiting
his living quarters I noticed the windows were in alignment with a
compass. There was also a wire running through the ceiling attached to
the rafters. It ran back and forth from the front of the room to the
back and all the way across. Ramirez informed me it was for his radio to
pick up a signal in his room but no one knows for sure. When
investigating any scene sometimes the small clues deserve the most
recognition.

Observations at Coral Castle

Please keep in mind these are speculative ideas and have never been
tested (33). When visiting Coral Castle, back in 2005, I was in search
for certain clues of an idea I once had. Knowing Leedskalnin
investigated the effects of magnetism and electricity I was on the
lookout for certain items connected to this idea which involved
electricity. While studying simple circuits and the function of a water
battery the idea arose. I often heard about waterways perfectly cut
underground at Giza and it is said Angkor Wat in Cambodia is supported
by a foundation of subterranean water (17, 18). Taking these accounts
into consideration I started to research the idea of running a low
voltage electrical current from one metal rod to another using the
underground water systems as a conductor. Could this alter the Earth’s
magnetic field in the area above the electrified groundwater? Chris
Dunn’s idea of using radio signals directed at the location may be part
of the process causing the blocks to become lighter (13). If the radio
wavelengths were the same size as the object within the weakened
magnetic field and reflected off the ground at a very high frequency,
could these reflecting radio waves change the weight of the object? The
tripods used to pull the blocks from the quarry had a mysterious box on
the top which no one has yet to explain its function. As Dunn mentioned,
could this box have housed a radio transmitter like the one Leedskalnin
constructed out of crystals? When using the electromagnetic spectrum as
a reference the wavelengths of radio waves range from the size of a
person to about the size of a mountain (31). Could this be why he used
radio wavelengths to match the wavelength with the size of the blocks?
Scientists use sound waves which travel through air molecules to
levitate different materials in a lab, could it be possible to use waves
from the electromagnetic spectrum to do the same?

An ad from The Miami Daily – by Ed Leedskalnin “The radio waves are
made by the North and South pole magnets. They spread around the Earth,
and the North and South Pole. Magnets that are coming down from the sun
are hitting the radio waves across, and so disturbing their paths. That
is the reason why we cannot hear the radio as well in the day time as we
do at night. At night time we only get those magnets that are coming
down from other suns or stars, but in the day time we get them all”
(12).

The Well

Leedskalnin dug out a well with a stairway next to it which leads to
the groundwater below. When searching for land it was said he would ride
his bike around the area without any tires so the metal rims would have
contact to the ground (15). It seems odd he would ride his bike in this
way unless maybe there was a scientific purpose for it. It was rumored
this was how he eventually found the site in Florida City where he
started extracting blocks from the bedrock. Because of the lack of
topsoil it was said he had picked the worse land for plowing in the
state as described by real estate agent Ruben L. Moser (Mauser)(23).
Bullard explained, after Leedskalnin had found his land he used a
“witching rod” to seek out the underground water system and mapped the
area where the water ran.

It was rumored Leedskalnin did the majority of his work by the full
Moon. While researching the Moon and its effects on the tides I found
that the same forces creating the tides in the oceans have an effect on
the underground water systems as well. After reading an article on
gardening and the advantages in planting during a full Moon the
explanation of how groundwater is pulled up through the ground during
the full Moon made me wonder if this was the reason he worked by the
full Moon (4). Could the stairway by the well be used for checking
underground water levels or possibly electrical currents within the
water? Maybe the gravitational pull of the Moon has a different effect
on the underground water while it’s electrified. The only way to know
this information would be to experiment on site over a period of time.

Iron Soles

Leedskalnin wore iron soles on the bottom of his shoes. Joe Bullard
received an email from a Sharon Bullard (no relation) who claims her
father-in-law was one of the children who witnessed the blocks floating
(14). She made the assumption the iron soles were to keep Leedskalnin
from floating away while he levitated the blocks. Could they have
something to do with him grounding himself to prevent electrical shock?
Could this be how he knew someone was approaching because their shoes
were absent of metal soles?

Possible use of Hydrogen

Upon additional research, in the area of running an electrical
current through water, it is a known fact this method coverts water into
hydrogen. Because the bedrock of the area being described like Swiss
cheese may allow the light gas to pass through in small quantities,
could the build-up of hydrogen under the surface effect the weight of
the blocks (4, 10)? Because hydrogen is very flammable the source of
electricity, the magnetic wheel, should be used away from the area.
Could this be why it was stored within the tool room to prevent a
possible explosion? Maybe this method of changing water into hydrogen
could have been used in combination of a weaker magnetic field with the
use of radio signals as already explained. The only way to know if this
is possible would be to experiment on the Coral Castle site because of
its right conditions.

A Possible Scientific Conclusion

Judging from his writings, Leedskalnin certainly had a different way
of looking at nature and science. Maybe this is how he was able to
accomplish these amazing feats by practicing different ideas.

When researching the clues in the form of observations and hearsay I
came to a few possible conclusions. Leedskalnin claimed to know the
secrets of the pyramids in Egypt which remained a secret until his death
(1). Maybe he knew something but was hesitant to tell anyone out of
fear this technology would be used for the wrong purposes. Another
possibility, if hydrogen was used he may have considered the danger a
highly flammable gas could pose if an explosion were to occur
underground. If this type of technology was used in the ancient world,
could this explain the legends of entire cities which collapsed into the
sea? Is it possible for a pocket of underground hydrogen to explode
causing the ground to collapse into the water below? If this hypothesis
were true one must keep in mind the possibilities and potential danger
if used the wrong way. In order to investigate this idea one must
proceed with proper care, in an excluded location and with the right
preparation. The dangers must be taken into consideration when
attempting an experiment of this scale.

Was Leedskalnin’s magnetic wheel linked to his secrets? Next to the
wheel there’s a pole which runs into the ground (seen in the images of
the wheel above). It appears he was rotating the wheel to create an
electrical current from the u-shaped magnets which were mounted in
concrete. Could an electrical current be running through the pole and
into the groundwater underneath? I also noticed a solid metal rod which
appeared to be pounded in the ground next to the quarry. Could this have
been connected to a wire coming from the wheel to complete a circuit
through the water below? If this is the case maybe this was his way of
manipulating gravity or a possible buildup of hydrogen (5). Leedskalnin
described the Earth as a magnet this quote is from the book Magnetic Current,
“The earth itself is a great big magnet” (1). Maybe he figured out a
way to weaken the Earth’s magnetic field which could possibly change the
force of gravity or the weight of an object on the surface.

Here is another possibility; could the electricity running through
the water create a complete circuit which can rotate the wheel
automatically? If this scenario is possible then maybe it was used as a
source of electrical power.

Once the weight of the block has been modified the next step would be
to lift it from the quarry. Leedskalnin was photographed and filmed
using tripods made from telephone poles with a mysterious box mounted to
the top. Could this have been a radio transmitter as mentioned before?
Maybe it was used to send a radio signal in the proper wavelength and
frequency towards the ground causing a repulsive action of high
frequency radio waves. Could this weakening of the magnetic field cause
the repulsive action to affect the weight of an object in any way? Maybe
the radio waves could affect the polarity of the atoms within the block
as Dunn mentioned.

The thirty-ton block contains a hole at the center of its face. There
must have been a purpose for this hole considering the effort it would
take to drill it. Maybe it was bored into the ground before the block
was quarried. A metal pole could have been inserted in the ground with a
wire being fed down to the water below or possibly a solid metal rod
like the one next to the quarry today. With the pole being located at
the center of the block if hydrogen was produced or a weakened magnetic
field this would occur directly under the pole or rod. Could this have
been how Leedskalnin lightened the thirty-ton block enough to maneuver
it? Maybe the hole was at a perfect balancing point of the block and was
drilled for lifting purposes only. Could he have used it to feed a
chain through lifting the block with a larger tripod or possibly two
tripods?

In the images of the thirty-ton block notice the symbol carved into
the side of the block which replicates the one on the front metal door.
This symbol is thought to represent the summer and winter solstice with
the Sun in the center and the Earth at the top and bottom. “21 Earth”
written next the circle is an indication of Earth on the 21st
which is the date for the summer or winter solstice. Could these days
be important for moving the larger stones such as the thirty-ton block?

With other clues left behind it seems apparent the position of the
Moon, Sun and planets could have played a role in his building methods
as well. Using the telescope and sundial he could easily find the
location of the Earth within the solar system at any time. This must
have been significant and should be taken into consideration. I also
read he made the claim the planets and stars were involved with the
building methods of the Egyptians. Actual witnesses claim Leedskalnin
said the stars and the Moon where involved (23). Whether or not it is
true no one can say for certain but its small clues like this which
deserve attention.

This is only speculation which may not yield any results but
hopefully these ideas will help solve some if not all of the mystery. To
try this experiment on the Coral Castle site would be ideal but it
seems it can be performed in other locations as well. Even though my
present area has a perfect underground water system, with high iron
content, the land to try such a thing is not available. Experiments on a
smaller scale may not yield the same results so the need for a location
far from human contact is for the obvious reason of safety. An
experiment like this should be performed with extreme caution and
preparation should be examined vigorously. Persons of hands-on
experience and advanced knowledge in the subject of electricity should
be present. I will not take personal responsibility for those not
prepared properly which may result in bodily harm or death. As many
other experiments performed in mankind’s past there is a danger involved
which should not be taken lightly. Thank you for reading.

References

(2) http://www.southfloridaonline.com/article_coral_castle.htm
“The main equipment used was an 18 – 20 ton crane! It took days just to set up the equipment.”
“Also, note that there are no chisel marks on the stones at Coral Castle. They are completely smooth.”
“It has been reported that one night some children witnessed Ed “floating stones like hydrogen balloons”

(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_Castle
“Leedskalnin originally built the castle, which he named Rock Gate Park, in Florida City, Florida around 1923.”
“Once the gate was removed, the engineers discovered how Leedskalnin
had centered and balanced it. He had drilled a hole from top to bottom
and inserted a metal shaft. The rock rested on an old truck bearing”

(4) http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/06/23/2199031/scientist-miami-as-we-know-it-today-is-doomed-its-not-a-question-of-if-its-a-question-of-when/#
“Even worse, South Florida sits above a vast and porous limestone
plateau. “Imagine Swiss cheese, and you’ll have a pretty good idea what
the rock under southern Florida looks like,” says Glenn Landers, a
senior engineer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This means water
moves around easily – it seeps into yards at high tide, bubbles up on
golf courses, flows through underground caverns, corrodes building
foundations from below. “Conventional sea walls and barriers are not
effective here,” says Robert Daoust, an ecologist at ARCADIS, a Dutch
firm that specializes in engineering solutions to rising seas”

(5) http://www.adamsmagnetic.com/company_faq.php
[Q] Do magnets get weaker? How?
[A] Several factors can weaken the magnetism in a magnet. If a magnet
is stored close to heat, strong electrical currents, other magnets, or
radiation, it can lose its strength. Additionally, high humidity can
corrode neodymium magnets.”

(6) The Giza Power Plant, Christopher Dunn 1998

(7) http://www.rense.com/general39/coral.htm
“On the average, the weight of a single block used in the Coral Castle was greater than those used to build the Great Pyramid”
“A huge 30-ton block, which he considered to be his major achievement, he crowned with a gable shaped rock.”

(8) http://www.rense.com/general10/geo.htm
“In total, Ed quarried over eleven hundred TONS of coral rock for his
Castle, using tools fashioned from wrecking-yard junk, never revealing
how he managed to rise, and position, the massive coral blocks that make
up the compound.”
“An air of mystery surrounded his two story monolith, known as the
tower, which housed his workshop and living quarters which no one was
permitted to enter.”
“An area known as the “moon pond,” comprised of three 18-ton pieces
of coral, represents the first quarter, last quarter, and the full
moon.”

(35) http://www.dankalia.com/paranoia/castle.htm
“After Coral Castle was completed, Leedskalnin opened it to
restricted tours, charging 25 cents per visitor, but he preferred to
live behind the great walls in seclusion.”